


too far from the main road

by minimemeyoongi



Series: you're always there when i need you [2]
Category: EXO (Band), K-pop
Genre: Adorable, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - School, Byun Baekhyun-centric, Cars, College, Cute, Cute Ending, Cutesy, Driving, Eventual Fluff, Fluff, Fluffy Ending, How Do I Tag, I Tried, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Bad At Titles, I'm Sorry, Lots of that, M/M, Mentioned Byun Baekhyun, Mentioned Park Chanyeol, Movie Reference, Please Don't Hate Me, Please read, Riding, Romantic Fluff, School, Short & Sweet, Short One Shot, Sweet Byun Baekhyun, Sweet Park Chanyeol, Tags Are Hard, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Walking, are you, hehe, i hope u recognise it, just -- FLUFF, just cars in general, kiki do u lov me, not the cars movie, pls read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-06-29 15:11:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15731967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minimemeyoongi/pseuds/minimemeyoongi
Summary: "Hey, you want to get in? I wouldn't want you walking out here alone."in which baekhyun likes to walk and chanyeol is just concerned.





	too far from the main road

All his life, Byun Baekhyun never thought having a car was necessary. It wasn't necessary, because bikes existed. Bikes existed, buses existed, and trains existed. Commuting to get to places was a concept that Baekhyun has had since he was a child. He was used to walking under the heat of the sun and the harsh rain. He was used to smelling smoke and smelling like smoke whenever he went somewhere. He even has his own preferences; he would rather ride the jeep rather than the bus because jeeps are way faster. He would also rather walk somewhere that was ten minutes away instead of riding something that could probably take him to his destination in five minutes or less. But it was fine. It saved him some commute money anyway, and Baekhyun was used to walking far.

Baekhyun's house was located on a quiet street, in a quiet village, in a little town. The whole town was small enough that everyone knew each other, atleast by name and by their parent. Which was why, on his way to the main road, he was greeted by their town's baker.

"Ah, goodmorning, Baekhyun!"

Baekhyun, not noticing the man, had to turn to face him. "Goodmorning, ahjussi!" He bowed.

"Off to school?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, then be on your way then. Tell your father I said hi," said the baker, already making his way into his shop.

"I will. See you, ahjussi!" Baekhyun waved even though the baker wouldn't see.

He went back to walking. The last thing he heard from the baker was, "the baguettes! Hurry up!"

Baekhyun exhaled a puff of air. He was three minutes earlier than schedule, and he was proud of himself for it. As he made his journey uphill, as all the roads here were always going nowhere but upwards, he busied himself thinking about what he had to do for the day, what to study later, and what unfinished essay had the nearest deadline.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he yelped when a honk suddenly sounded from behind him.

There was a car, new and shiny and, well, car - like. (Baekhyun never knew that much about cars. He didn't have one, didn't need one, so he didn't bother knowing about one.) It pulled up beside him so that the driver's side was on his side as well. The window rolled down, and Baekhyun kept his eyes on the floor for fear of being kidnapped, or worse, catcalled.

"Hey, you need a ride? It's a bit far from the church, so I thought maybe you'd want to hop on."

Baekhyun kept his eyes glued down. "No thankyou, sir. I'm fine with walking." He says.

"Okay, if you say so." Baekhyun hears the window slide back up, and sees the car speeding ahead of him.

He lets out a sigh of relief. He wasn't catcalled, nor kidnapped. Everything was well. He made his way up the road with a higher skip in his step, humming all the way.

The church was the main landmark that connected Baekhyun's town to the main road. The church was on the main road where it was loud and busy. Everyone referred to the main road as the church instead, so as not to cause confusion. Once Baekhyun arrived at the church, he waited for a jeepney to arrive. Once the right one did, he got on and went to university.

\--

A few weeks later found Baekhyun running up the road to get to the church. He had woken up late and didn't notice it, only finding out that he was a solid fifteen minutes behind schedule as he was about to shower. Needless to say, Baekhyun forwent his morning skincare routine; after his shower he had no other time to do anything else besides dress up and leave.

These were one of the many times that Baekhyun wished he did have a car. He would have been at the church by now if he had one. He would have been at the university in maybe half an hour instead of one whole hour if he had a car. But he didn't have a car, and because of that he had to run up the hill. He was contemplating whether it would be safe to just roll down the road once he reached the top when a honk sounded behind him.

"You look like you're in a hurry, why don't you hop in?" Says a vaguely familiar voice.

Baekhyun, ever the polite one, kept his eyes on his shoes, shaking his head. The car beside him quieted down as it matched his pace. "No thankyou, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? I can bring you atleast to the church."

"It's alright, really, thankyou for the offer, sir." Baekhyun dismissed, trying to run faster.

He hears the window sliding up and sees the car move ahead of him.

He arrives at the university and decides to skip his first class as he is already an hour late.

\--

Baekhyun had stayed behind in uni with a few friends and group mates to make further progress on a project due next month. They had all agreed that the sooner they finished the project, the more time they had for other important things that were due earlier.

When three extra hours of staying in school had passed, their leader called it a day.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow," said Junmyeon, carrying their little model. The rest of the group members muttered affirmatives as they too gathered their belongings.

It was already ten in the evening, as Baekhyun's phone screen told him, when he left uni. It would take another hour and maybe even longer to get home, since most jeepneys were filled with other people going places. Baekhyun hated riding taxis, as some taxi drivers ask him for more than what the meter says, and he never wins the argument, always having to hand out more money than he was originally supposed to. Besides, what are taxis for if he can wait just a bit longer for a jeepney or a bus to come by?

It was eleven in the evening when Baekhyun got out the bus and infront of the church. His house was a good fifteen minutes away on foot if he walked comfortably. Which, to Baekhyun's standards, meant walking three steps a second. He was used to walking fast; it came with being a commuter, he guessed. If he was walking leisurely, taking his time, it would probably take twenty minutes.

But it was late, and Baekhyun was tired, and all he wanted to do was fall into bed then fall asleep.

He was humming to try and distract himself from the brisk walking he was doing when a honk sounded from behind him and an all too familiar car slowed down beside him.

Like the first two times, Baekhyun kept his eyes down.

"Hey, you want to get in? It's late, and I wouldn't want you walking out here alone. It's not safe."

Baekhyun resists the strong urge to fire back with telling the stranger that he wouldn't be any safer in a car driven by a person he didn't know. Instead he shakes his head and continues to walk faster than before. "No thankyou, sir. I'm fine."

The driver sighs, audible enough for even Baekhyun to hear. "Are you sure? I mean, if it was daytime I would've left you alone, but it's late and, well you're alone."

Baekhyun breathes in, then out. "I'm sure, sir. I don't live too far from here," which wasn't a total lie; twenty minutes away from the church was not that far.

"Hey, wait, aren't you Mrs. Byun's son?"

With that, Baekhyun stops in his tracks. It's too late to brush that off now, seeing as the car halted to a stop as well.

"Hey, you are! Mrs. Byun and my mother are friends. You know Mrs. Park?"

Baekhyun, recognising the name and being able to put a face to this Mrs. Park, looks up. The driver does look a bit like his mother's bestfriend's husband. "You must be Chanyeol, then?"

The stranger brightens up at the name. "Yeah! And you're Baekhyun, right?"

Baekhyun nods, a smile finding its way onto his face. This stranger wasn't that much of a stranger after all. "I don't see you around that much," he comments.

The driver, who Baekhyun now knows as Park Chanyeol, the son of his mother's bestfriend, shrugs. "Yeah, I don't really go out unless it's really necessary. I've seen you around before, though. You're the one who goes to the library a lot, right?"

Baekhyun nods again, grinning at the fact that somebody has noticed someone as ordinary as him going around in their little town.

The conversation comes to a lull and Chanyeol realises that they've stopped in the middle of the road. He clears his throat. "So, uhm, do you still not want to get in, or have you changed your mind?"

Baekhyun weighs his options. First of all, he's really tired and he's had a long day. Second of all, his legs are sturdy enough to take him where he needs to go. Third of all, even if his legs are good enough, they seem to like the idea of getting inside the car and staying still until he arrives at his destination.

He sighs. He walks to the door and gets in. "Thankyou, really, for this. I promise I won't bother you again." He says as he settles in the back.

Chanyeol looks at him through the rear view mirror. "You're not a bother. Anyway, I was the one who offered, so don't worry about it. And if you know where my mum lives, you'll also know that I pass by your house all the time to get to mine. So there's really no problem."

Baekhyun shrugs. "Okay, but still, thankyou. We don't know each other except through our mothers, but you still offered. And even before you knew who I was, too."

"Hey, I promise I don't mind. Besides, it was nice I finally got to meet you. Mrs. Byun talks about you a lot. All good things,"

"I hope so," Baekhyun says, laughing awkwardly.

"How is she by the way? It's been two days since she came by,"

"Ah, she's fine. How's your mum?"

"Fine as well,"

They fell into a silence that was awkward for Baekhyun. He wanted to talk to Chanyeol more, a little getting to know you would have been nice, but he finds that he has no idea what to say or ask. His house is now just ten minutes away instead of twenty this time.

"Why are you out this late, by the way? If you don't mind me asking," because it was too late to go out anywhere at this time.

"I stayed behind to help out my professor. You?"

"I stayed behind to help out my group mates," Baekhyun finds their reasons coincidental. They just so happened to stay behind on the same day and come back at the same time. "Where do you study? I don't think I've seen you around before,"

Chanyeol laughs. "Yeah, I don't think so either. I study in Avenir."

"Ah. Figures. I go to Sawasdee,"

Chanyeol whistled. "Wow, a smart one," he comments.

Baekhyun blushes. "You're smart, too. Avenir is a good school,"

"Dude, Avenir is the school people go to when they fail Sawasdee. Why do you think there are so many of us in there?"

Baekhyun and Chanyeol laugh. There was a little bit of truth in what Chanyeol said. Avenir was like the next best school after Sawasdee.

They spend the rest of the ten minute ride comparing schools. By the end of it, Baekhyun wants to move to Avenir and Chanyeol wants to try going for Sawasdee once more.

"I swear, unless you are super responsible and you can follow through with your schedules, I don't recommend you go to Sawasdee. You'll drown in requirements." Baekhyun grimaced. He had about four essays due, all on Friday, and he's only started on three of them on Monday. It was Wednesday today, and by tomorrow he was going to have to rush.

"Whatever, getting into Sawasdee is worth the requirements. Avenir is okay. It's super laid back but only a few professors actually care about teaching their students,"

Baekhyun sighed. "I guess no matter how nice the school there will always be faults," he says as he sees the gate to his house.

"Yeah, I guess so." The car stops as it arrives at Baekhyun's destination. "So here we are,"

Baekhyun nods. "Thankyou, really, for letting me tag along. It was nice talking to you, Chanyeol."

Chanyeol smiled. "Yeah, you too, Baekhyun. Maybe, if I see you again tomorrow, you can ride until the church,"

Baekhyun blushed, shy at Chanyeol's words. He was so nice. Surely he was only saying that because it was the polite thing to do. Baekhyun's said many things he didn't really mean just because it was the polite thing to say. So he just shrugged, opening his side of the car door. "Maybe I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good night, Chanyeol," he smiles and waves until he's sure Chanyeol doesn't see him anymore.

Because of Chanyeol, he's home five minutes earlier than if he had walked home. That puts a smile on his face. He turns around to open the gate and enter his house.

\--

The next day, Baekhyun is eight minutes ahead of schedule. He had just locked the gate when he hears a voice behind him.

"Beep beep! Want to get in?"

Baekhyun laughs, turning around to see Chanyeol grinning at him. "Are you sure? You're not in any hurry?"

Chanyeol shook his head. "This usually the time I head out. Come on, get in. You'll get to the church quicker,"

"Okay, I will. Thankyou again for this!"

\--

Baekhyun stayed behind again. This time though was earlier than before. He was out by nine and got off at the church at ten. He was happier than usual, as his reason for staying behind was because he had to help his professor. Professor Taehyung was his favourite professor, and while playing favourites on students was a bad thing, Baekhyun likes to think that Professor Taehyung likes him a lot, too.

They spent an hour organising papers and by the end of it Baekhyun had been told he had the highest mark in the essay that was due last Friday. He left uni with a smile on his face.

The smile grew wider when he saw Chanyeol's car slow down beside him. "Beep beep, I know it's like five minutes away but do you still want to get in? It's late already,"

Baekhyun nodded. "Yes, please!" He sat in the back, as he always did. He told Chanyeol about how he had the highest grade for the essay he procrastinated on at the last minute. Chanyeol listened, laughing when Baekhyun told about his struggles in completing the essay. Chanyeol told his own story, about how he stayed late this time because his friend got in trouble and had to sort the library books.

They had already been at Baekhyun's gate around five minutes ago, but neither of them seemed to want to end the conversation. When ten minutes passed, Baekhyun decided he didn't want to waste any more of Chanyeol's time and car battery and gas.

"Thankyou again for letting me ride with you even if it was a short distance away already," he says.

Chanyeol gets the message : It was time for Baekhyun to leave. He cleared his throat  and steeled his nerves to ask the question he's been preparing to ask since the second time he let Baekhyun ride in his car. "Yeah, it's fine. Maybe we can make this into an everyday thing," he says, then frantically adds as he sees Baekhyun's wide stare, "I mean if you want to! Only if you want to. I wouldn't want you walking all the way to the church when you've got me with a car right here," he trails off.

Baekhyun's eyes twinkle in amusement. "Maybe we should," he says, getting out of the car.

"Wait!" Chanyeol panics, reaching out to grab Baekhyun's wrist from his open window. "Maybe I can get your number? So that it's easier for both of us,"

Baekhyun's lips slowly form a smile, until his cheeks are bunched up and his eyes have turned into crescents. He sees Chanyeol fumbling for something; maybe his phone. Baekhyun smiles wider. "Maybe you should."

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by true firsthand events, except my granddad was the driver, the stranger was a female teacher who was on her way to tutor her students, and i was the nameless person c in the backseat who wasn't supposed to be there but ended up sitting beside the teacher.
> 
> thankyou for reading! please comment!
> 
> please check out my other [ works! ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/minimemeyoongi/works)
> 
> // here's my (very inactive) twitter account! [@minimemeyoongi](https://twitter.com/minimemeyoongi)


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